Even Samuel L. Jackson's star power can't bring 'The Last Days of Ptolemy' to life

Samuel L. Jackson's considerable star power can't breathe life into "The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey," a slow-moving Apple TV+ limited series constrained by the disjointed nature of its plot. Just securing a project featuring Jackson (who produces as well as stars) is probably coup enough for the streaming service, but the marquee value doesn't overcome what turns out to be a slog as a viewing proposition.

Jackson's title character is introduced in the throes of dementia, relying on help from his nephew (Omar Miller), who is murdered early on. Lacking a caretaker, Ptolemy forms a bond with an orphaned teenager, Robyn (Dominique Fishback), before he meets a doctor ("Justified's" Walton Goggins) offering him a second chance: An experimental drug treatment that has the ability to restore Ptolemy's memories, at least temporarily.

Based on the 2010 novel by Walter Mosley, who also serves as an executive producer, the narrative meanders before reaching that point, which opens up a series of flashbacks as his memories flood back, including Ptolemy's family history and long-dormant recollections of the horrors that they faced.